If San Francisco is the epicenter of baseball?s steroids universe, Baltimore isn?t too far away.
With Major League Baseball investigator George Mitchell?s report regarding the use of performance-enhancing drugs scheduled to be released this afternoon, several Orioles are taking a nonchalant approach to its disclosure.
“I just hope I?m not in it,” starting pitcher Jeremy Guthrie said. “I wasn?t in [Major League Baseball] for the majority of that, so it affects me but it doesn?t affect me. You just hope baseball as a game benefits from it and doesn?t get hurt by the consequences.”
Guthrie isn?t presumed to be named, but numerous current and former Orioles have been linked to performance-enhancing drugs during the past few years, increasing the likelihood they could be among the 60 to 80 players expected to be listed.
Former Orioles David Segui and Jason Grimsley and current Oriole Jay Gibbons already have admitted using performance-enhancing drugs. Then there is Rafael Palmeiro, who recorded the most infamous positive test in baseball?s steroids crack down.
“I think everybody is anxious to get it out and be done with,” Gibbons said. “I have no idea how the fans will take it, or the players.”
Second baseman Brian Roberts, in addition to former Orioles Miguel Tejada, Manny Alexander, Jerry Hairston and Gary Matthews Jr., have been accused ? but not implicated ? of using performance-enhancing drugs.
“We?ll just have to wait and see,” Robertssaid. “I really have no idea.”
Mitchell ? a former senator who is a member of the Red Sox front office ? has spent the past year and a half conducting a nationwide investigation into the use of performance-enhancing drugs. The biggest question, aside from who is on the list, is what will happen after the report is released. With testing already in place, players are unsure.
“I just wish they?d get it done and lets move on with it,” reliever Jamie Walker said. “They?ve got the much-needed drug testing [in place], so lets just keep on going with that and we?ll see what it does.”
STEROIDS ERA
Performance-enhancing drug Web site www.baseballssteroidera.com has a compilation of 64 players, simply entitled “The List.” The site also includes links to stories and documents, and a timeline of how steroids have impacted the game.
